Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Looking to build an elevated hunting blind

I am looking to build an elevated hunting blind so that I can hopefully get my wife to join me on some hunts. I also have young boys so it will help in that regard as well. I think I want to do a 6x5 that I can also bow hunt out of. I am planning on elevating it 10� off the ground using 4x4 elevators. Does anyone have any good thoughts or plans that they can share. I have googled the crap out of this but have not really found anything that will get me from start to completion. I am not a carpenter so the simpler the better  I am looking to be able to build it for less than $500. I simply can�t afford one of the nice fiberglass stands. If you have any plans, thoughts, or can even just point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated.

just start nailing some chit together

plans are for pansies

or.....get yourself a defunct handicapped porta potty

dig holes drop 4x4 in them nail a rim joint around the 4 posts and joist between posts slap down plywood and walls up from there .


ML

Slumlord ~ Unfortunately I am one of those guys that take the approach of �if it�s worth doing, it�s worth doing right and unfortunately I have zero construction experience so your approach + my skill set = disaster. Unfortunately I am going to require a well thought out plan.

First make your floor (base), using 2x4's and 1/2-3/4" plywood. The make your walls using 1/4" (or 3/8) plywood and 2x2's. Make a roof that will sit on top of the walls(as light as possible). Use a couple drywall screws with the hex heads to secure the walls to the base and roof to the walls. Disassemble the stand, take it to your hunting location and put your legs on the base. Brace the legs with boards horizonally near the bottom of the legs. Stand it upright and bring the wall componants up, one at a time and secure with screws. Put the roof on last. (duh). After the stand is assembled put cross braces on all four legs.

5x6', 10' tall, is a big stand, and dangerous to move in rigid form, unless you have heavy machinery.

I just finished building one thats 4'x6'. The bottom of the stand is 8' off the ground. Total cost was $250.
I used 2x2' for the walls and 2x6's for the floor and OSB board for the floor, walls and roof.

There really not that hard to build. Go for it.

make it too shaky, and your wife won't go in it, anyway.

I've got two, one was built, one was bought. Neither are elevated very high. For 10 feet off the ground, you do need to know what you're doing as far as the build, and have help tilting it up.

I'll probably build the next one, but it will be different than the first

Here is one resource:

http://www.freedeerstandplans.com/

That budget sounds a little low to me for what you want. You might be able to do it for that if you just build a bare bones box and use a ladder. But if you want to use stairs and have it last for more than a few years you will have to spend a little more, unless of course you can get your materials really cheap. If your 10 feet in the air you wouldn't want to skimp on bracing and support.

Get one of these. It's portable. Paint it camo. Done.



I want one for jackrabbit shootin'. All I gotta do is win the lottery. Oh, wait, I gotta buy a ticket first.

Tom

Justin10mm ~ I think that a ladder will be sufficient. Don�t really want to mess with stairs. I am sure that I will be the one hauling all of the gear up and down anyway and then following each child or my wife up the ladder in case of a slip (they are all pretty small�including the wifey)

I like my blind at least 100 yards from the shooting area.
That's not bow friendly. Get a pop up for the bow.
Only hard part of building any box with windows and a door is the framing for these items. I just had a friend that was a retired contractor help. I was the go get this guy, he built.
Find one of these guys.
Neatest stand I ever saw and hunted out of was built on scaffolding. trap in the floor.

A quick search turned up this. Looks pretty good to me.

here is a mobile blind



hunt from your camp

I built a 4X8 on 16' 6 x's set 3' in the ground. All for under $400[including stairs]. Built my walls and roof on my carport as this stand is on a field edge where I could pull my truck to/under.

Your budget is too low to build something nice that will last a long time. This is what my son built for his Eagle Scout project this summer. He made it for an Environmental Learning Center that also has public hunts:

Also, these guys make a useful product, that makes it easier to connect the legs to a platform. They sell a compound angle version, that will improve the stability of the stand once all four legs are mounted. Cost is about $90. Sold at Home Depot and Gander Mountain.

http://www.elevatorsllc.com/

They suck compared to these:

http://www.e-ztower.com/

See the picture above with them in use. More money but worth it.

I put together this stand from some plans I generated after looking at a pic or two of a stand PeteE, one of our members, hunted from in Scotland.



I put it together in my Implement Shed and then tipped it over into my old Chevy two-ton and hauled it to where I wanted it.



I then carefully used the hoist on the truck bed...



and caught it with my scoop and used the scoop to ease it down.



It did some very mild damage to the structure doing it this way, but was intact.



Later I nailed some tin siding/roofing to the roof so it wouldn't rot out. I have intended to take some camo paint down there and paint it, but it has held up pretty good thus far.



The tin covered the damage.

[img]http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m8/kiddglock/2010206.jpg[/img]

That's one of the areas it covers, but it looks like the pic was taken from ground level and is blurry.

Hope this helps.

We built this one several years ago.The big mistake IMO is going too small,I don't mean a condo but roomy enough for several occupants plus gear.Also wise to spend extra for minimum maintenance especially if it's in a remote area like this one.

I like that one Woody.